University of Utah SURVEY OF JAZZ 1236-90 3 credits (There are no co- or pre-requisites for this course) Professor: Cathryn Clayton, D.M.A. Office: 158 DGH Office Hours: by email or phone (please give me 24 hours to reply to emails) Phone: 801-699-3446 Email:
[email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of jazz from the 1890s to the present. You will learn about the various styles of jazz and the fascinating musicians who created them. One of the greatest of all American art forms, jazz developed, however, for many decades in a racist America that viewed most of its performers as less than human. Race relations between whites and blacks provide the context for jazz’s history and will be investigated in depth in this course. As today’s jazz trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, has said, “Jazz music is at the center of the American mythology. It necessarily deals with race.” COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this course lie in two fields of endeavor: the Fine Arts and Diversity Studies. From this study of music, you will acquire the tools, aural and intellectual, to comprehend all that comprises musical masterpieces, those from the jazz repertoire in particular. From the field of diversity studies, you will learn about the various experiences of black jazz performers who dealt with institutional racism, Jim Crow era political disenfranchisement and violence, white privilege, and various forms of bigotry, from the 1890s to the present. From this study by the end of this course, you will be able to establish methodologies for the creation of a thriving multi-cultural American society.